Helen Dickinson, director general of the BRC, said that while the footfall figures made for painful reading, retailers were helped as shoppers spent more per visit.

BRC sales data for December showed like-for-like sales edging up 0.3% in December, boosted also by an 18% jump in internet orders.

However, last Friday's official sales figures from the Office for National Statistics were far less cheery, showing a worse-than-expected 0.1% drop in volumes month-on-month in December.

The raft of high profile retail administrations has added to fears over the sector, with camera chain Jessops, entertainment group HMV and movie and game rental group Blockbuster all having collapsed since the start of the year.